December 2015 - Lyon Park Citizens Association

December 2015
Lyon Park Citizen
As 2015 Ends…
Please pay your annual
Citizens Association
dues!
-See page 2$10 annually,
$250 for lifetime dues
Are you on the Listserv?
The Lyon Park Community has an active
listserv. It’s the fastest way to
● Find a stone mason
● Identify volunteer opportunities
● See the area Crime Report
● Ask for dry cleaner recommendations
● Keep up with local news
As we approach the December holidays and the new year, we
wanted to extend warmest holiday wishes to everyone in Lyon
Park. It has been a remarkable (and remarkably busy) year for
our community, and we sincerely hope that everyone has a
wonderful holiday season.
We have a lot in store for 2016, including our Neighborhood
Conservation update, new and expanded community events, a
full series of Brewers Association events, and some exciting gettogethers planned in our newly re-opened Community Center!
More on all of these coming in January.
Until then, may your days be merry and bright, and your weather
far from frightful.
Happy Holidays, friends and neighbors.
The Lyon Park Citizens Association
Visit BigTent group Lyon Park to enroll:
https://www.bigtent.com/groups/lyonpark
Lyon Park Citizens Association
Next Meeting
January 13, 2016
7 - 9 PM
Back at the Community Center!
Photo: Vinh Nguyen
Don’t want to see what’s for sale? No
problem! You can tailor your selections to
just what you want or need.
Classified Ads
The Lyon Park Citizens Association
P.O. Box 100191, Arlington, VA 22201
GET SOMEONE’S ATTENTION! The Citizen is hand delivered to
1,900 households every issue. Use area code 703 below unless otherwise noted.
TEEN BABYSITTING
Alexis Rowland, 15, babysitter, Mother’s Helper. Girl Scout certified and American Heart
Assn. CPR, First Aid, automated external defibrillator, medicine admin trained. 9157768
Sirena Pearl, 14, Red Cross certified, Call or e-mail to schedule: 606-3277 or
[email protected]
Sam Yarnell, 14, Red Cross certified, Babysitting and Mother’s Helper, no infants. Call or email to schedule: (571) 451-3076 or [email protected]
Yasmeen Moustafa, 13, babysitting for children from 18 months to 7 or 8 years old. Certified
in CPR and First Aid. Also can work as Mother's Helper or Lawn Mower. 655-6228 or
[email protected]
OTHER SERVICES
B. Brennan, Mandarin Chinese tutoring services for people of all ages. Contact
[email protected] or 618-8808
LPCA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President
John Goldener
(703) 203-6181
[email protected]
Vice-President/Neighborhood Conservation
Bess Zelle
[email protected]
Vice-President/Programs
Thora Colot
[email protected]
Vice-President/Development
Aaron Schuetz
[email protected]
Treasurer
Bill Anhut, Jr.
(703) 528-3665
[email protected]
Secretary/Historian
Cindy Hardeman
[email protected]
Membership Chair
Christa Abbott:
[email protected]
Members at Large
Elliott Mandel
(703) 527-1502
[email protected]
Emergency Preparedness
Laureen Daly
[email protected]
Taylor Henninger, piano lessons to students of all ages. Contact [email protected]
COMMUNITY CENTER
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Experienced gardener available for part-time or occasional work. Lyon Village reference (5274533). Please call Michael Tanu (240) 426-1778
Jeannette Wick, Chair
[email protected]
Hayley’s Soccer Academy: Soccer training by ODP junior player, technical skills, for players
12 and under. $15/hour. Please e-mail: [email protected]
IMPORTANT CONTACTS
Need to restore and/or repair an antique or contemporary piece of furniture? Custom designs
and quotes available. Contact Jason Busby at 528-4567
Please Pay Your LPCA Dues–$10 for a year, $250 for life
Please complete this form (Hint: use a return address label!) and mail
it with your check to: LPCA Membership, P.O.Box 100191, Arlington,
VA 22201
Name_______________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________
Preferred phone_______________________________________________
E-mail______________________________________________________
May we add you to the community listserv? ○ Yes ○ No
Community Volunteer Interests (Check all that apply):
___Neighborhood Conservation
___Community Center and Park
___Development issues
___Social Events (Holiday Party, Halloween)
___Homes and Gardens Tour
Page 2
___Spring Fair
___Traffic issues
___Newsletter
___Trees/Conservation
___All-purpose volunteer
(703) 524-8531
Police Liaison
Cindy Hardeman
[email protected]
Community Center Rental Agent
Cindy Stroup
(703) 527-9520
[email protected]
Clarendon Alliance Representative
Debbie Kaplan
[email protected]
Listserv
Louise Maus
[email protected]
Civic Federation Reps
Steve Geiger
(703) 522-0026
Erik Gutshall
(703) 276-0809
Larry Juneer
(703) 525-8921
Michael O’Connor (703) 525-3469
Natalie Roy
(703) 819-4915
Jim Turpin
(703) 248-6988
Doorways for Women and Families Liaison
Erik Gutshall
(703) 276-0809
Newsletter Editor
Daniel Holland
Jeannette Wick
Submissions
Send photos and articles to
[email protected]
Distribution
Helen White
(703) 527-2977
[email protected]
www.lyonpark.org • December 2015
Goodbye, Renovation Man!
Hello Renovated Community Center!
So much has happened in the community in the last month. Our Halloween activities, this year supplemented with a wildly
successful Cow Flop Drop, resumed. The annual not-just-a-CRAFT FAIR was held November 21, and was the first large
event held inside the building. And on a balmy Sunday afternoon, we officially re-opened our building. Thank you to all of
these events’ organizers.
For more than a year, the little sledge-hammer-wielding man, pictured below, has been the symbol of renovation in each
issue of The Lyon Park Citizen. Today, he is retiring, his job done, his sledge hammer no longer needed. On November
22, 2015, the Lyon Park and Ashton Heights communities celebrated the opening of the renovated community house, and
since then, we’ve finished the few things that needed to be done. It’s lovely!
We don’t have enough space to thank each and every person who helped with this project, and if we tried, we’d surely
forget someone.
You–renovation supporters–know who you are. We appreciate each and every contribution of any kind. Every one.
What can you expect from here?
● We’ll resume normal operations. You can find information about renting the Community Center on page 8 of this
issue. Community events will return to the Community Center, and we hope to see you there!
● We will continue fundraising, since we now have a mortgage to pay. (See below)
● If you see something that needs to be done in the park, or have a problem, please contact our Rental Agent, Cindy
Stroup, at [email protected]. Please do not take on projects in the park (e.g. planting trees, mulching, digging)
without checking first. We welcome help, but may have already made arrangements to have things done.
Jeannette Wick
Chair, Lyon Park Board of Governors
Contact me at [email protected]
Find news and pictures on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/lyonparkcommunitycenter
Don’t Forget the Center!
RENOVATION
15
This issue of The Lyon Park Citizen is smaller than usual, mainly because we haven’t included many pictures. You can
see pictures of the Community Center and recent events on our Facebook page, or you can simply visit the building.
20
Annemarie Selvitelli
You can give it to Uncle Sam, or you can donate it to the Lyon Park Community Center. As 2015 comes to a close, don’t
forget that the center is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a non-profit organization under the U.S. Tax Code.
Generous contributions throughout the past few years enabled us to compete renovation. If you came by the open house
on November 22, you had a chance to take a first-hand look at all the change—changes only possible through
contributions from throughout the community.
The Community Center is where amazing neighbors frequently gather for community events featuring dinners of all sizes,
tastes and kinds. Food is not the only draw. Past center events included tennis, art and tutoring.
If you would like to donate using securities, bequests and retirement plan assets, please contact Bill Anhut at
[email protected].
Make electronic donations online at http://lyonpark.info/donations.html. Please mail checks Payable to Lyon Park
Community Center Renovation to P.O. Box 100191, Arlington, VA 22201.
www.lyonpark.org • December 2015
Page 3
A Lyoness in the Park: Halloween
Kate Oberdorfer
We take Halloween very seriously in Lyon Park. For some, the season begins with pumpkins on the stoops, for others,
it’s crafty cut-outs of cats, of witches, of cauldrons—and white sheets draped over the bushes. But for others, Halloween
can only begin when the 4th Street skeleton witch takes flight. It’s only then that Lyon Park Halloween commences.
She took flight on a Saturday this year. Two Saturdays before the real Saturday, in fact. I was at Northside Social,
socializing with my Lyon Park oldies (Blackburn, Quattlebaum) when my oldest Lyon Park oldie called me.
“It’s time,” said Molly Roy, of the Highland Street Roys. “They’re having the planning meeting.” Molly and I had been
counting down the days until Halloween ever since last Halloween when we ran into a Radioactive Clown on the haunted
porch of 4th Street. The Clown told us that that they needed help with the haunted house next year. Were we interested?
Molly and I didn’t let him finish his sentence. Were we interested?!? This is only the haunted house that defines our
childhood. The haunted house that we awaited every year—that we (actually, that I) prematurely stalk the rest of the days
of the year, just to see if the magic keeps goin’ on throughout the seasons. (It sort of does—a few weeks before
Halloween, they were giving out free Orange Day Lilies in Whole Foods and Mom’s Organic bags.) So yes, YES!
We sat around the table at the planning meeting, and remembering the Haunted House of years past was almost magic
enough. Remember the face in the front yard? Pepper’s ghost. Remember the tunnel around the back. Parachute colon.
Remember the head that chased you out of the yard? Yes, yes and YES. And this year, Molly and I would be part of it.
We arrived at 3:00 on Halloween Day, mentally prepared to be the women in white. I told Molly that we really needed to
get into character like, OK, how did you die? “I sold some bad dates at a stand in Israel and now I’m getting my revenge.
How did you die?” “Marriage.”
And that was that.
At sundown, we got into position. If you attended the Haunted House porch, you will recall the four women in white in the
front yard. Well my neighbors, two of those women were real—I just can’t tell you which ones.
To call the evening magical would be cliché. To call it haunted would be redundant. This Halloween presented a range of
reactions, from laughter (we made a young firefighter cry) to confusion (why were all the Dads sending Moms in?) to
irritation (why was a mother poking one of the statues?) to total and complete fascination at watching what Lyon Parkers
do with fear. By the end of the night, we had more stories than we knew what to do with.
And so, we went to IHOP, and started planning for next year.
Here’s to the magic of Halloween, Lyon Park. We really do the evening well. Because at the end of the night, its not about
costumes and candy, its about the connections we build with our neighbors, trusting them enough to join us in another
reality as well as being there, the moment we get back.
Save the Date:
• January 13: Lyon Park
Civic Association meeting
•2ⁿ� and 4�� Sundays, 2 PM
to 6 PM: Capital Area
Bluegrass and Old-Time
Music Association. Visitors
are welcome to join in or
just sit and listen!
•Watch the listserv for
other events.
Page 4
www.lyonpark.org • December 2015
Holiday Travel: There’s an App for That!
Christine Kubus
The holidays – what a beautiful time of the year. Decorations on every street corner and holiday lights in the windows.
But for those of us who travel to see family or friends, our definition of holiday lights may be those of oncoming headlights.
If you are one of the 90 million traveling by car, download these apps, especially if you are planning to go far.
Waze
This app is free with excellent ratings, you can’t go wrong. It updates traffic moment to moment and alerts you of traffic
jams, police and accidents. Another feature is the option to add a stop to your route, if you have a restaurant or a friend
you want visit on your way. Waze also informs you of gas prices to help save at the pump.
Along The Way
This app can help you plan a day trip or a trip from coast to
coast. By entering your destination, it will map your drive and
help you find parks, restaurants, bars and even historic
landmarks you happen to be passing by. It also assists in
finding restaurants right off the highway if you are looking to
save time. It costs $2.99 but think about the money it could
save you. No driving around to find eateries and tourist
attractions!
Audible
Not into music? This app allows you to choose from 150,000
books. It will read to you at the speed you select and is easy to
use while driving. It also informs you of time left in the book so
you can plan ahead as you drive. The app itself is free but you
must make an account with Audible (sponsored by Amazon). It offers a free one month trial then costs $14.95 a month
which includes any book of your choosing per month. You can also buy additional books for a small fee. (Tip: no harm in
opening an account for the busy traveling season and then canceling it before the free trial is up, just don’t forget!)
www.lyonpark.org • December 2015
Page 5
The Lyon Park Citizen is hand delivered to 2,000 homes around
the 10th of the month from December through June (10 issues),
with artwork and copy due the 20th of the previous month.
These are our advertising rates:
Ad size
Measures (in
inches)…
Cost
Business card
3.5 by 2.3
$85/month color
$59/month B&W
Quarter page
3.5 by 4.5
$130/month color
$89/month B&W
Half page
7.5 by 4.5
$210/month color
$149/month B&W
Full page
7.5 by 9.5
$350/month color
$249/month B&W
Full page freestanding insert
8.5 by 11
$400/month color
$350/month B&W
We offer a 5% discount for residents who have paid their LPCA
dues, and an additional 10% discount for advertisers who
commit to three or more months in a row. A designer will draft
artwork for an extra 10% charge. Contact
[email protected] to reserve space.
Page 6
www.lyonpark.org • December 2015
Agatha Christie: A Different View
Margaret Dean
In 1922, Agatha Christie and her first husband, Archibald Christie, sailed around the world as
part of a Mission to promote the 1923 British Empire Exhibition. Agatha had started her Poirot
series, and written some of her Tommy and Tuppence mysteries, as well as The Mysterious
Affair at Styles (1920) so she was recognized as a writer, but her role was principally as Mrs.
Christie.
Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie’s grandson, has collected the letters that Agatha wrote
home during the trip, as well as newspaper clippings, photos, and memorabilia, and
assembled a tribute to his grandmother. The book is only 360 pages, but heavy because the
paper is so thick. The photos are all black and white, and some of the copies of hand-written
letters are scrawled and hard to read. They have all been type set so the reader does not have
to decipher the original. Prichard has written a touching introduction to the text.
The Mission circumnavigated the globe from January 20 to December 1, going from one
English foothold of the Empire to the next. Agatha had to leave her two-year old daughter
Rosalind behind with her nanny and grandmother. It’s ironic that at times Agatha bemoans the
fact that this is probably the most exciting thing that will ever happen to her, that she will never get to travel again, and
that she loves hot weather. Little did she know that Archie would dump her, and that she would later marry the famous
British archeologist, Lord Mallowan, traveling and living extensively in the Levant and the Arab world. As for finances,
Agatha earned money from her books while traveling but apparently had no access to those funds for herself, although
she could wire funds to her mother. There were no instant communications in 1920 except telegrams, with mail taking
several months to reach them.
Agatha Christie wrote this book but never intended to publish it. The text reads very much like something any daughter
would have written under similar circumstances, but there is the occasional flash, as when she reports she would like to
do away with the “rude, overbearing, bullying, inconsiderate, and mean on curiously small matters” leader of the Mission.
Grand Tour is a quick read, with a unique view of the engaging young woman, the surfer dude, who was Mrs. Christie.
The Grand Tour, Around the World with the Queen of Mystery, by Agatha Christie, edited by Mathew Prichard.
William Morrow of HarperCollins Publishers, 2012. ISBN 978-0-06-219125-0. 364pp
Special Thanks: Generous Business Supporters!
Commonwealth Restorations
2430 S Kenmore St.
(703) 525-5255
Commonwealth donated a truck
and their workers, Roberto and
Mohammed transported and
hauled chairs for the
Community Center.
www.lyonpark.org • December 2015
Ray Allen, Locksmith
(703) 444-4828
(703) 861-4580
Donated the time to advise us
on locks and lock systems at
the Community Center, and
installed several locks quickly
and well!
Jamie Jones, La Moto
3298A Wilson Boulevard
(703) 243-8377
Donated a free Budget truck
rental for an afternoon to
transport fair corrals back to the
Community Center.
Page 7
Community House Rental Rates
Lyon Park and Ashton Heights residents are eligible for
resident rates, but cannot sponsor non-resident events.
Monday – Thursday & Friday daytime (8 AM–5 PM)
$35/hour resident; $75/hour non-resident
Monday – Thursday (6–10 PM)
$100 resident; $300 non-resident
Weekends, Holidays & Friday evenings
HALF DAY (8 AM–2:30 PM or 3:30–10 PM):
$350 resident; $700 non-resident
WHOLE DAY (8 am-10 PM):
$600 resident; $1,200 non-resident
Children’s Birthday Rates for children 10 and under,
maximum 50 attendess, booked <2 months in advance:
Two time slots (8:30-11:30 AM) OR (12-3 PM) – Includes
set up and clean up. If your party lasts longer than 3 hours,
please rent at the half-day rates above.
$150 resident; $250 non-resident
Additional rental fees:
● $25/inflatable (can only be rented from Arlington
T.E.A.M.)
● $100/tent
Use of inflatables and/or tents must be approved in advance
and specified in rental contract.
A security deposit is required for all rentals.
MAKE A RESERVATION TODAY!
Check online calendar for availability and complete the
online reservation form at www.lyonpark.info
Page 8
www.lyonpark.org • December 2015